


re-adjusting

by crosspolination



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Animal Crossing mentions, Domestic, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Luna wearing casual clothes, Post Chapter 9 AU where everything went right, helping each other bc this is a lovely and supportive relationship, internal struggles, silly girlfriends in love helping each other i cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 22:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10706340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crosspolination/pseuds/crosspolination
Summary: Settling into a peaceful life when all you've ever known is danger and adrenaline can take a lot of re-adjustments to do internally and externally.Also known as how Aranea missed her days risking her life no matter how peaceful things could be right now, and Luna's obsession with videogames and TV shows save their day.





	re-adjusting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phineas_and_ferb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phineas_and_ferb/gifts).



> me: i want araluna content  
> inner me: that means you have to write it  
> me, groaning: BUT I DONT WANNA
> 
> special thanks to @iosihexa on twitter who mentioned luna with casual clothes and i was like. i... ig otta write that,

Aranea assumes this is normal; the way her entire routine had been disrupted made sense for her to feel like _this –_ empty, out of place. It’s been two weeks since she hasn’t worn armor and weapons, and for someone like her who has spent half of her life fighting and making her way on her life, this is getting irritating. Her hands twitch a lot, she’s jittery, and it’s annoying her because she doesn’t know what to do.

She _misses_ it. Not that she’s not thankful for the peace; or not thankful for Luna being safe in her house, it’s just – it’s a personal thing, she supposes. Taking away something that is always in your life from you must affect you in a different way that she could not be able to explain. She’s been wearing pants and plaid shirts for a _week_ now. She misses the feeling of a cold armor against her skin and the weight of her spear on her hands. She summons it from time to time again, but it’s not the same.

Mostly, she can’t shake off the feeling that something is terribly missing from her. She doesn’t know what – the adrenaline? Risking her life every day? An adventure? She’s been to Lucis, to Altissia, and now she’s in Tenebrae. What else is there to explore? What can you do when everything has already been done?

She grips her hands on the balcony. She is extremely glad Luna had decided to move back to her old house (mansion, really) because the balcony is probably Aranea’s favorite place, ever. There is probably no better place for her to relax and breathe out without being questioned about it. Not that Luna would question her, but she would rather avoid the entire situation all together. Speaking of her – she’s been taking this whole thing way better than Aranea has.

Luna has never shied away from her duty. In fact, Aranea saw how dedicated and passionate she was about her role as the Oracle, one of the many reasons that made them both get along quickly – sharing the same flare and passion for their job makes thing easier. But now, Aranea can truly see the toll it took on her, because now that there’s _peace_ , Luna is having a blast.

“Noctis let me borrow his videogames,” she had said, showing Aranea a pile of videogame she got from her friend. “He says I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

No one is really expecting anything from Luna anymore, so these past weeks, walking in the living room and seeing Luna curled up with her sweatpants and hoodie on as she plays videogames is both a familiar and strange action. Aranea has already walked in on her crying over the first videogame she played and now she’s an unstoppable videogame machine.

Good for her, Aranea thinks. She’s handling the peace well, and she’s getting back all those years that her duty took away from her.

“What are you playing now?” Aranea asks, watching amusedly as Luna frantically smashes the buttons on the controller.

“This one is called _Last of Us_ , apparently. It is really violent,” and the statement is confirmed when the main character smashes someone’s head against a table. Aranea doesn’t flinch, because frankly, she’s seen worse. “It is also quite entertaining. I like the main character a lot.”

Aranea picks up the game’s box, sitting next to Luna on the sofa. “Who’s the redhead?”

“Oh, this is Ellie,” she says, and the battle finally stops in the game. Luna sighs, relieved. “She is a fourteen year old girl. I have adopted her as my child, but apparently, Joel – the main character – still has not accepted she is his new daughter.”

Aranea chuckles. She sits a little bit closer to Luna, because a part of her wants to tell her about the conflict inside her head, and ask her if she feels the same way, but the other part doesn’t want to bring up the past. It’s already gone, and being honest, no matter what her body misses — she would rather have Luna sitting down on the sofa playing videogames in baggy clothes than have her outside, risking her life every day.

She keeps babbling excitedly about the game, and out of love, Aranea pulls her hood up, making her lose the game. Aranea ignores the main character’s scream of pain to focus on the way Luna pouts and shoves her off.

It’s fine, Aranea tells herself. She can _and_ will get used to this.

With Luna by her side, how could she not?

**ii.**

King Noctis laughs on the other side of the line. “Really?”

“Her eyes are red,” Aranea says into the phone. “She’s been playing _Pokémon_ for a week now. She says she’s beating people online or something. I don’t know what to do.”

Noctis keeps laughing. “I feel like I’ve created a monster.”

“You have,” she says light-heartedly. “This is your fault. Do you know how much about videogames I know now? Too much.”

“I… can’t see the problem there,” Noctis replies, “it only means we have more to talk about. Speaking of, do you guys plan on coming to Insomnia anytime soon?”

“If it gets Luna to stop talking about Pokémon, we will.”

“Just wait until she gets into _Animal Crossing_ , you’ll never see her again.” He laughs at Aranea’s deep sigh. “Let me know when you guys are coming, okay?”

“Sure. Take care, king.”

“Likewise, commodore,” and the call ends with her laughing.

It’s cleaning day on the Nox Fleuret house. She knows this because Luna has figured out how to play loud music and now Aranea knows too much about today’s music, thanks to her. Aranea finds herself to be quite fond of cleaning now – rearranging bookshelves, her closet, dusting off, it all brings her a strange sense of satisfaction inside her head. Using a broom is not as satisfying as wielding her spear, but hey, she’ll settle for the second best.

Luna plops down next to her on the sofa at the end of the day, tucking her feet underneath Aranea’s thighs and smiling brightly. This is probably her favorite part of the day – seeing how relaxed and how well this change came to Luna. She’s always been a cheerful girl, but now it’s truly radiating off her. Her hoodie collection grows every day, and Aranea herself has started stealing some from her.

“Listen,” Luna grins. “I have recently found out Noctis has gifted us a… what was it called? A Netflix account, I believe.”

Aranea raises an eyebrow. “Why is Noctis indulging you in your new obsessions?”

Luna shrugs. “Let him. I am quite enjoying this,” she adds, “the point is, we can start a new TV show. I have…” she swallows a little. “I have noticed you are often getting lost in your thoughts, so perhaps this could serve as a distraction for you?”

She’s always been so perceptive. Aranea’s hit by a wave of affection towards her, a feeling she’s incredibly used to, and she smiles. “Nothing ever escapes you, does it?”

“Absolutely,” she grins. “Would you like to talk about it, or would you rather just watch the TV?”

Aranea stops to think about it. Does she really want to talk about it? It seems like, even right now as she tries to speak, she can’t exactly put into words what’s bothering her about the whole situation. There is not a word for what she’s feeling, so she shakes her head.

“Maybe later,” Luna nods. “What are we watching?”

“Prompto _begged_ me to watch this one called _Stranger Things_. Apparently, it’s a bit old by now, but a classic nonetheless. I trust his taste.”

“And I trust you,” says Aranea. “Okay, sure, put it on.”

Luna stands up, setting up the TV, and leaving the room in search for something. She comes back minutes later, with a blanket and she wastes no time to curl up on her lap as the show starts.

As it is whenever she uses Aranea’s lap as her pillow, she falls asleep soon after. Aranea decides to keep running her hands on her long hair while she keeps watching the show, because she loves Luna, but also: the show turned out to be more interesting than she expected. Luna won’t mind if she watches the entire thing without her.

(She minded. A lot.)

**iii.**

They’re riding the train on their way to Insomnia, and Luna’s sitting next to her as she explains the basics of Animal Crossing.

Luna’s way too into a game that is basically about farming and having friends. Aranea does get the hang of it, though, and accidentally starts designing the town. She frowns a little. This game is too addicting for it to be in such a small console.

They barely notice they arrived to Insomnia until the train suddenly stops and the doors are opened.

Insomnia is quite a beautiful city. A bit destroyed, but it’s definitely getting better – it’s much more beautiful than what she saw on the news when Insomnia fell. Luna’s holding her hand, pointing up at all the skyscrapers, and Aranea promises to take her there as soon as they greet Noctis and his friends.

She leaves Luna alone with Noctis for them to catch up as she decides to go on a little tour herself around Insomnia. She runs into Ignis, who gives her advice on the best kind of restaurants to take Luna to. She also runs into Prompto, who’s extremely excited to talk about Stranger Things, and laments the fact Luna is totally missing out on their amazing series talk right now. She finds Gladio when she’s on a flower shop, looking for a nice bouquet for Luna, and Gladio offers to make her the best bouquet she’s ever seen. This new peace settles perfectly on everyone, and it’s extremely obvious.

She holds the bouquet of flowers a bit tighter. If only she was part of that group, too.

Whatever. Not the time to indulge in those kinds of thoughts. She’s got a bouquet of flowers and a girlfriend to pick up, and that was more important than whatever going on inside her head. Just as she’s arriving, Luna is stepping out with Noctis, and she brightens up even more when she sees Aranea.

“Are those for me?” Noctis asks. “Thank you. You didn’t have to, Aranea.”

“Piss off, Your Majesty,” she laughs, handing Luna her bouquet.

Luna sniffs the flowers, and smiles widely. “I adore them. I cannot wait to get home so we can put these on a vase. They will make a fine addition to our house, don’t you think?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she nods, putting an arm around her. She shoots one look to Noctis. “Mind if I steal your friend for a while?”

“Not at all,” Noctis nods. “Just make sure to come back. Heard from Prompto that you have some strong opinions about _Stranger Things_.”

“Oh, I do indeed,” Aranea grins. “Be ready for a long discussion.”

“Will be,” Noctis promises, and with that, he turns around and goes inside again.

Luna sighs contentedly. “These flowers smell so nice. Where did you get them from?”

“Ah, just a flower shop around here,” Aranea says. “Gladio helped me pick them up.”

“I shall give him my most sincere thanks, because these are wonderful.” Luna leans in, kissing her neck briefly. “Thank you.”

Aranea smirks, and tightens her hold around Luna. “Do you wanna go to one of those skyscrapers? Ignis mentioned there was a, I quote, _magnificent restaurant but not better than his food_.”

Luna chuckles. “Sounds absolutely wonderful.” She disappears from underneath Aranea’s arm, only to grab her hand and start running. “Come on, we will be able to see the sunset if we run!”

Aranea is so, so glad they left the high heels behind and started using comfortable shoes instead.

**iv.**

There’s quietness in the skyscraper as they gaze into the city. Aranea watches the city, watches the people interact with each other, sees them laughing, and she’s not sure what she’s feeling. Is she happy for them? Is she jealous?

Her hands twitch a little, and as if she could read her mind, Luna puts her own hand on top of hers.

“Will you tell me what’s going on inside your head?” she asks softly, intertwining their fingers together. “Are you okay?”

Aranea sighs. She squeezes Luna’s hand twice, and groans a little when she can’t find the words again. Luna is patient, calm. She doesn’t pressure her into saying anything. She only waits.

“I’m not getting used to the peace,” Aranea confesses. “It sounds bad, but – I’ve been living off adrenaline my entire life. I’m used to risking myself every day. This thing… my body’s not getting used to this, and it’s screwing up my mood.” She pauses for a bit. “I’ve said it out loud, and now it sounds really stupid.”

“No, it is not stupid,” Luna says, quietly. “I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I have been the Oracle for so long, I am worried that I don’t know what my purpose is, now that there is nothing left to guide to.” She swallows a bit. “That is why I’ve been so… careless, in a way, with my new interests. I want something to keep me busy, to consume my time. I am used to my life being busy all the time, that now that it is peaceful, it’s just… odd, isn’t it?”

Aranea nods. “Exactly. That’s exactly what it’s like.” She turns around to face Luna, grabbing her other hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you struggling, too.”

“Don’t apologize, silly,” Luna giggles. “I was not showing any signs of struggle, either. I genuinely enjoy _Animal Crossing_ and my shooting games.”

“You know? You _are_ wickedly good at shooter games,” Aranea says, laughing a little. “Have you ever actually used a gun?”

“No, and I will never. It took me about eighty tries to know how to angle. I would be a disaster with an actual gun,” she laughs, and slowly she lets go of her hands to cup Aranea’s face. “I could teach you to play those games. The adrenaline you feel is almost like real life adrenaline.”

“Sure, why not? It’s probably better than _Pokémon_ or _Animal Crossing._ ”

Luna gasps. “Are you calling them bad games?”

“I might be.”

“How _dare_ you say that and then expect me to kiss you?”

Aranea blinks. “I wasn’t expecting—”

Luna leans in and kisses her with no previous warning. Aranea’s hands travel to her waist, holding her in place as she kisses back. When she pulls back, Luna is smiling. “See? That’s what you _won’t_ get if you insult my games again.”

“I take it back. I’ve never seen such wonderful games in my life.”

Luna laughs.

“Back to our original topic,” she says, quieter, “do not think that you are alone in this. I am with you, and will always be, if you let me. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, of course it is,” she responds, leaning in and kissing her forehead. “Thank you. How did I ever get so lucky?”

“You could get luckier tonight if you play _Animal Crossing_ with me without any complaints on how the people in my town are ugly.”

Aranea groans. “You’re using your power for _evil_. That’s _evil_ , Luna.”

She only grins, letting go of Aranea to reach out inside her little bag and take out her console. “Come on. We have a town to redecorate.”

They both sit down at the restaurant, with the console on the middle of their table, and Aranea listens as Luna explains every single game mechanic to her.

There is no doubt in her mind that together, they _will_ get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> me, wiping my tears away: they just love each other so damn much,,,, im cry
> 
> i HOPE lydia likes this bc after all this IS a birthday present for u. it's on TUESDAY, I KNOW, but also i don't have free time on tuesday rip. lvoe u lydia <33


End file.
